Béatrice de Andia

Béatrice de Andia was a Spanish-French writer and curator.

Life and career

Born in Madrid on 17 September 1933, de Andia grew up in a family of Spanish and French nationality. She was the daughter of Manuel Gonzalez de Andia y Talleyrand-Périgord, Duke of Dino, and Mercedes de Elio. Her French origins stemmed from her paternal grandmother, a member of the House of Talleyrand-Périgord, a descendant of her five-time great uncle Charles Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord. She was raised in an 18th Century country house in Saint-Brice-sous-Forêt. She graduated from the Sciences Po and earned a doctorate from Paris Nanterre University in 1974.
De Andia spent the majority of her cultural career in Paris, though she travelled around the world in her Citroën 2CV. She then moved to her castle in Azay-le-Rideau in 1986 and opened the to the public in 2000. That year, she joined the. In 2006, she founded the. She was also a founding member of the La Revue des vieilles maisons françaises.
De Andia died in Azay-le-Rideau, on 16 October 2024, at the age of 91.